


Peas and Carrots

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Bad Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1998-06-30
Updated: 1998-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-20 05:46:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11329761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived atThe Basement, which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address onThe Basement's collection profile.





	Peas and Carrots

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Peas and Carrots by Andrea Cindy Kershaw

Peas and Carrots  
by Andrea Cindy Kershaw

DISCLAIMER: The character's of "The X-Files" found herein are not the creation of the author, but rather are the property of Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and Fox TV.

* * *

Andrea checked the potatoes by poking them with a knife and letting them slide off to check if they were cooked. They stuck a little to the knife, so she knew from years of cooking for her father while all of her friends went out to the pool hall that they would take at least another five minutes. The potatoes were the last things left to get cooked. The stew was cooked and sat on the stovetop but she kept a lid on it so that it wouldn't get cold while the string beans were steamed in less time than it took the water to come to a boil.

"Perfect," said Andrea to herself because her father would be home from work soon and everything was ready and waiting for him when he got home from the hardware store where he worked all day. "I timed everything perfectly. It will be ready for him as he gets home."

Fox Mulder, Andrea's father, walked in the front door at six thirty on the dot. He had his jeans and shirt and kodiac boots and workman's toolbelt that he wore everyday to his workplace. He looked a little weary from the days work, but his face lit up as he walked in the front door and smelled dinner and saw his daughter, his only remaining family in the whole wide world.

"Heya daddy-O! How was work? They try to screw you over?" joked Andrea as her father walked in the front door.

"Ha ha, that's nutty," laughed Mulder as he walked in the front door and hugged his loving daughter at the pun she had just made. It was this sense of humor that he and his daughter share that had allowed the two of them to make it through the hardships that the previous decade had brought them. "It smells delicious, Andrea," said Mulder.

"You think TV dinners smell delicious,' joked Andrea. "Now you get washed up and we'll see about getting you fed."

Mulder went up to the bathroom which was on the second floor of the little bungalow which he and Andrea had moved into after the death of Scully and Bill William, his son, who had died three years ago when he and Scully had sat on the roof staking out Santa Clause on a bet and Krychek had blown up their house. Mulder and Andrea had somehow survived the explosion, but Scully and their son, Bill William, had somehow not.

Now he looked himself in the mirror and saw how old he was getting and yet he still retained some of his handsome ruggedness from his youth despite his age. He still had a good butt, as Andrea always embarrassed him in front of her friends saying when she had them over for sleepovers. He also had a good head of healthy, thick hair, although some of it was starting to get a little gray on the sides. He thought of using grecian formula, but Andrea had told him that the gray hair made him look mature and more sexy, so he decided to keep it. And although he wasn't a spring chicken any more, he had managed to keep his washboard abs that he had had since he had been on the basketball teem in high school by jogging every day.

When he got down to the kitchen, Andrea had served him a healthy serving of stew, potatoes, and string beans and was slicing the fresh bread from the bread maker Mulder had gotten her for her birthday and putting it on his plate.

"This looks awesome," said Mulder, trying to sound cool like his daughter as he sat down at the table and dug into the grub before him because he wanted Andrea to not feel like he was out of touch and getting old. Andrea smiled to herself because she knew what he was doing and thought to herself that Mulder didn't have to prove how cool and in touch he was because they were the closest daughter/father combination she had ever known.

"Thanks, O-Foxy-One," she joke with him. They were always joking.

"So, did anything exciting happen at school today?" asked Mulder, not just to make conversation, but because he was sincerely interested in Andrea's comings and goings. She was one of the smartest girls in the school, but the teachers never gave her the grades she deserved because she wasn't afraid of the truth.

"We were learning about the Kennedy assassination in history today. Mr. Krantz was telling us how Lee Harvey Oswald had shot him from the book suppository and had gone to the movie theatre to hide. When I asked him if he knew anything about the Mafia working with the CIA to kill Kennedy and make Oswald their patsy, Mr. Krantz send me to detention hall. I mean, for crying out loud, I was only trying to make a joke."

Mulder, chewing his stew, which was really good because his daughter was a really good cook, listened concerned only like a parent who really loved their daughter would, and Mulder really loved his daughter not only because she was the only family in the whole wide world he had but also because she was really special. He also knew that, all joking aside, his daughter had stumbled upon the path to the truth, and that it was far better to ask questions and risk becoming an outsider and fight an uphill battle against the whole world that to go with the flow and live in the dark, even if it does mean you get great marks and date the cute boy who is the captain of the football team and have really cool friends because you're living a lie.

"Do you ever miss working for the FBI, Mulder?" asked Andrea, who would refer to her father by his proper name when she wasn't talking jive because they were more like old friends than father and daughter and he knew that she was mature and not some kid anymore who had to grow up too quickly after her mother had died while all her friends were spoiled rotten and had their mothers do everything for them while she was working weekends to help support her family.

Mulder had quit the FBI after the death of his late wife, Scully, and son, Bill William. In many ways he blamed himself for their deaths. It was him, after all, who had made bitter enemies with Krychek. They had assumed that when he married Marita that he was a reformed man, and the house in the suburbs with two kids and a dog had only positively reinforced this feeling. But Krychek had always kept a grudge against Mulder for being better and nobody liked someone who fought for truth, so he had blown up their house and killed his wife, Scully, and their son, William Mulder, too, to get even with Mulder. Once Krychek had been caught and put behind bars along with his wife Marita who was really evil and in on it from the beginning even though she feigned innocence until the bitter end, Mulder quit his job because he loved his daughter a lot not only because she was the only one he had left in the whole wide world but also because he genuinely understood her and didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

At first he had gotten a job as a manager at some big firm, but he eventually found out that he didn't like the corporate mentality and, even though he looked really hot in an Armani suit, wanted to return to his grass roots. So he got a job at a hardware store. Although it didn't exactly pay six figures, he was happy working there and he got to spend more time with his daughter, who he really loved, and not just because she was his daughter.

"I miss the jet-set life-style and the really cool company cars, but I wouldn't give my life away now for a million bucks,' said Mulder finally, almost with a tear in his eyes. Andrea could tell that even though he was joking that he was very serious because she understood her father. They were both rebels.

After supper Andrea and Mulder did the dishes together, then they went out to rent a video from Blockbuster. Not the most exciting Friday night for a man in his prime and a high school girl who should be out partying with her friends, but they enjoyed each other's company more than vacant friendships and one night stands with people you really didn't know. It was real.

Mulder almost, out of habit, walked through the cowboy doors to the adult video section, but Andrea saw a good movie and they decided on that one. It was a movie set in old England, and people were dressed up all fancy and it was very romantic. Andrea and her father enjoyed watching this sort of movie more than all those high-speed action movie with car chases and special effects.

When they got home, they noticed that there was a car in the street in front of their house. They thought this was odd, as although he hadn't been in the FBI for over seven years he still retained his spooky senses of foresight. But they figured it must be someone who was at a party across the street who had just parked on the wrong side. When they got inside, they noticed that someone was sitting in the kitchen. Mulder recognized him right away.

"What are you doing here?" asked Mulder.

"I hate to break up the party, Mulder," said AD Skinner with his teeth clenched because he was visibly upset, "but I wouldn't have come here unless I thought that it was absolutely necessary."

Since Scully's death, Mulder and Skinner had become much closer friends. Skinner and Molly, Skinner's wife who he met at the FBI when she was a secretary, often had Mulder and Andrea over for dinner on Sunday nights. It was not uncommon for him to drop by from time to time. He even had a copy of their key, which explained how he got into their house without setting off all the alarms.

Andrea liked Skinner because he treated her like an adult with the respect she deserved. She remembered that he had always been a little uncomfortable around her when she was younger because Skinner wasn't very good with kids. Then last Summer at the pool party where she wore her first bikini her and Mulder had thrown together for some friends, Skinner had seen how much she had grown up too fast and was serving drinks to the guests and running the barbecue and being a regular hostess. He couldn't keep his eyes off her, and he must have seen how mature she was for her age because he now talked to her with respect and didn't call her, "Hey, little girl!" anymore.

"Hi Andrea. How are you this evening?" said Walter very politely and smiling because he was happy to see Andrea.

"I'm tops, Wally. How's the wife and kids?" answered Andrea like they were old friends.

"Great, just great. Trevor got a job at McDonalds this summer and is planning on buying a new sports car," said Skinner.

"I suppose he and Betty-Lou-Ellen will be going for lots of long rides in the country," said Andrea, who hated Trevor and Betty-Lou-Ellen's guts but would never be impolite to Skinner because they were a bunch of spoiled brats. Trevor was really stupid but was the quarterback and everyone liked him and all his teachers had a crush on him so he got by even though he never worked for anything. Betty-Lou-Ellen was even stupider but everyone liked her and she just batted her eyes and the teachers gave her the grades she wanted while Andrea, who actually worked for her marks, barely got Cs because she didn't have big tits and blond hair and a vacant laugh like Betty-Lou-Ellen who would be nice to someone to their face then make fun of them when they got around the corner. Andrea felt that Skinner didn't like Trevor or Betty-Lou-Ellen much either by the way he avoided talking about them, but neither of them ever said anything bad because it wasn't Skinner's fault his son was such a jerk wad.

"Ha, I guess so," answered Skinner. He was getting so wrapped up in this conversation with Andrea and having such a good time that he almost forgot why he was there. It was Mulder who brought the business back on the table.

"You aren't here to tell me that Marita and Krychek have escaped from jail, have you," asked Mulder because he didn't want anything happening to Andrea while she was in her last few months before graduation. The loss of his wife and son and their unborn child had been hard on Mulder, and he didn't need any more excitement in his life at this point and time.

Skinner's smile dissolved into a grim looking clench. "I'm afraid it's a little more serious than that," he said grimly.

"What could possibly be worse than the murderer of my beloved yet dead Scully and sweat yet also dead Bill William and our unborn child, Billisa Marie, and his hateful yet beautiful wife Marita?" asked Mulder, obviously upset by the whole thing.

"Perhaps Andrea should go into the other room,' suggested Skinner, not because he didn't think that she could handle it nor because he disliked her company, but because it was top secret and he really shouldn't be here.

"Whatever you'll be telling me," started Mulder, "Will undoubtedly affect both of our lives.perhaps once again disrupt the fabric of our lives," continued Mulder. "So, I'll be telling her this later anyway.Andrea might as well hear it from you," finished Mulder, proud of his daughter for being such a trouper through yet another tragedy. He held her hand and smiled warmly at her. Andrea was very happy but also very scared, the way these sorts of things can either make or brake a family.

"Very well," said Skinner, looking back a forth a little cautiously he continued, "Can you tell me what year it is, Mulder?"

Andrea was a little confused. Perhaps it was a rhetorical question, as undoubtedly Mr. Skinner had a very good idea of what year it was. Mulder had, after all, sent him that Dilbert desk calendar for Christmas, and Skinner saw his desk every day except most weekends which he didn't work unless it was an emergency. What was more likely, however thought Andrea, was this was something that had happened before she had been born and when her father had been working for the FBI.

"What year it is? Why.but of course. It has been exactly 20 years since.but that's impossible." realized Mulder. Andrea was now really confused, but she didn't dare interrupt the two men she respected and loved the most from discussing something that obviously was very important.

"Is it, Agent Mulder? Is it really that hard to believe? You, after all, used to believe?" piped in Skinner.

Mulder put his hands through his hair and breathed deeply and seriously. "This is pretty bad. Oh God! Oh God!" said Mulder, because he was pretty upset that his arch enemy who he thought was dead had come back to haunt him, perhaps kill him. Or worse.

"I can't overstress the seriousness of this situation, Agent Mulder. We need our best men on this case, and unfortunately neither of our best men work for us any more," said AD Skinner, and then felt bad because Mulder knew that he meant he and Scully and Scully was dead and Mulder blamed himself for it even though it wasn't his fault he couldn't be held accountable for everything that went wrong but sometimes it was hard to keep that in perspective.

Mulder started to cry, but not those tears that stream down your face like in the soap operas where they use glisterine but real tears like you're trying to hold them back but they're coming out anyways and then Andrea started to cry too because she knew her dad was sad and she was sad too. When she looked up, she noticed that Skinner was crying too, although he was trying to be a man about it and so she didn't stare at him but then they all hugged each other and he hugged her too so she knew it was all right.

Mulder was sad not only because Scully was dead, but also because Andrea was now in danger and her graduation was right around the corner. He had promised to take her shoe shopping over the weekend, but now that was all ruined. Why should he let these psychos and serial killers ruin his and Andrea's time together. This was so unfair to her and she was going to end up paying for it in the end.

Andrea could sometimes read minds like her father because she shared his spooky senses, so she knew right away why Mulder was upset, so she told him, "Don't worry Papa Bear. We'll go shopping for shoes next week."

All of a sudden, Mulder was smiling, although he was still crying, but he looked happier like when the sun comes out right after a rain storm but the ground is still wet and there are puddles all over the street and the park is all muddy. He knew that Andrea understood him, and right away he knew that she would have to come along with him on his adventure if he was going to protect her.

"How would you like to go to Texas with me?" asked Mulder to Andrea, because with his spooky sense he knew that Skinner would be coming along too so he didn't have to invite him.

They were all really happy that they would be working together, so Andrea served Skinner a hot plate of stew with potatoes and string beans so that he'd have his strength for their big adventure. Then they called the airport and Skinner put the tickets on his credit card because he could write it off which was good because Andrea and Mulder were low on funds.

Andrea had to call her boss at the Price Chopper's where she worked so that her and Mulder could afford food and renting movies and other nice things that Daddy's and daughters did when they weren't too busy. Her boss, Lizzie Peepers, didn't give her any trouble because she was really cool and she knew that Andrea was a hard worker who didn't call in sick for no reason and she was always cracking jokes so Andrea liked her too. She didn't know how long she'd be away from school, but her teachers never noticed her anyways because they were too busy looking down Betty-Lou-Ellen's mini-skirt or cracking jokes with Trevor, or both, and besides she was a genius only they didn't know it and she could miss a month of school without sweating it.

Mulder let Andrea fly with the window seat because he had been in a plane before and she stared at the clouds. "It was really quite beautiful," she thought, "when you're so high up you can't see people. Too bad it gets real ugly when you get up close." But then she realized that not everyone was ugly when you got up real close, only the serial killers and psychos, and even some of them were OK when you got right down to it. But some of them were really ugly.

Skinner prepped them on the plane about their case. Even though Mulder was the resident expert on Eugene Toombes, a lot had happened during the past twenty years, and it never hurt to be really well prepared just in case. Also, Andrea didn't know anything except what her father had told her, so this was more for her benefit.

"Our automatic sensing cameras picked him up and matched him in our FBI computer database over a month ago. Unfortunately there's something known as the constitution that doesn't allow us to do much but keep our hands tied, but we've had some of our best men working around the clock to collect intel on this guy."

"Has he killed anyone yet?" asked Mulder, because even though he worked in a hardware store he hadn't forgotten all his years at the Beaureu. It was like falling off a bike; you never forgot how.

"Unfortunately not that we can directly prove. If he had, we could move in and nail him, but he has either been very careful or not killed anyone or, even worse, both," said Skinner sternly, and you could tell it was serious by how upset he was.

"Coffee, tea, ." asked the stewardess, interrupting the important conversation. Andrea wasn't too concerned about the stewardess spying on them because she looked like the dumbest apple that had fallen off the tree and wouldn't figure it out. Skinner and Mulder barely looked up because they were very busy and weren't a bunch of male chauvinist pigs. The stewardess reminded Andrea of Betty-Lou-Ellen in many ways, and somehow she wouldn't be surprised to see her become a stewardess in a few years because it was right up her alley.

"How about you, little girl? Would you like some milk and cookies?" said the stewardess who was obviously jealous of Andrea because she had all of Mulder's and Skinner's attention and not her and she could tell that Andrea was older than that.

"Naw, I'll just have some battery acid," replied Andrea with sarcasm because the stewardess didn't know she was joking and ran away all upset. Andrea liked doing that to people who were too big for themselves and putting them in their place, but surprised herself having done it in front of Mulder and Skinner. When she looked up, she saw them smiling and realized they got her joke because they weren't uptight or anything and she felt relieved.

"When we arrive at the airport in Texas, Tomas will be waiting for us," said Skinner.

"Who's Tomas," asked Mulder, and Andrea felt relieved that she wasn't the only one who was out of the loop because Mulder hadn't worked at the FBI for several years since Scully died.

"He took over your job at the X-Files after you left. Actually, he stumbled upon them himself and decided that they needed paying attention to very much like you did when you joined the Beaureau. He was the one who first suspected that it was Toombes we were chasing long before the computer did," said Skinner, sounding like he was proud. "He almost gives me as much trouble as you did."

Andrea couldn't believe that her father had ever been a troublemaker, but then she knew that she hadn't fallen two far from the tree herself. She didn't like the sound of this Tomas character and promised herself that she'd stay out of his way. He was probably all smart allecky and arrogant and wouldn't pay any attention to her anyway.

When they got to the airport in Texas, however, Tomas wasn't waiting for them like Skinner had said, but instead they had to take a taxi to the hotel and Skinner started to clench his teeth because he was upset at Tomas for not showing up. He tried to brush it off like it was no big deal and tell jokes, but you could tell that deep down inside he was angry.

While they were waiting for Tomas to show up, Andrea got to swim in the pool wearing her bikini so that she could work on her tan. Skinner came out and looked a little better after swimming for a bit and blowing off some steam. He had a really good body and Andrea couldn't help but stare at him, but he laughed and didn't really seem to mind. She also looked at her dad a lot, because he looked really good in his red spedos, so you really couldn't get mad at her or anything.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Mulder and Andrea decided to go visit Graceland and the jungle room while Skinner went to look for Tomas because they had come all this way and they had to solve the mystery before it was too late. Mulder had been there twice, once on his own and a second time for his honeymoon with Scully, but that was before Andrea had been born, so she had never seen it, and Mulder was able to tell her all about it because he was really smart. He made jokes and all that, but Andrea could tell that at the back of his mind he was worried about the case, so she played along to try and cheer him up.

All of a sudden, a really good-looking guy about her age walked in. He wasn't really looking at the exhibits, but seemed to be lost in his own world like he was reading a book while walking down a busy street without hitting anyone. If she weren't on a case, she'd try to pick him up or something, but his girlfriend would probably be walking in the room any second now and she'd be a real B like Betty-Lou-Ellen so it wasn't worth it.

Before you knew it, he was walking straight towards her. "Is this a dream where I'll wake up and realize it never really happened," she said to herself. But she didn't say it out loud, because he would have heard her. Instead she pretended that she was looking at the paintings.

"Agent Mulder.I thought I'd find you here," said the guy. "I'm Special Agent Tomas Stoyko.I've been waiting for you."

Mulder shook hands with Tomas, who was the sweetest guy Andrea had ever met but she didn't dare say anything because they were here on business. She could tell right away that despite his daredevil tactics and strict disregard for authority that deep down inside he was honest and caring. No wonder he was the best Agent in the FBI even if he broke the rules and upset Skinner.

"Uh.Hi!" said Mulder, shaking hands with the young man, "We missed you at the airport.I think Skinner is looking for you."

"He'll be looking for a long time," joked Tomas. "I'll have to apologize for being late when we get to the car, but there's been a change of plans and we don't have any time to waste with all that red tape. That Skinner's a good guy, but her plays by the books a little too much, and we might all be dead by that time."

Instead of driving around in a boring old Taurus, Tomas had a Ford Explorer like Frank Black because it made more sense if you were going to go off road and things like that. Andrea thought she didn't like Tomas at first because she was just getting to know him, but deep down inside she really loved him already because he was a rebel just like her and she was projecting.

"I wish I had one of these things back in my days," said Mulder trying to make conversation with Tomas.

"Sure does get you where you're going," said Tomas, who was busy paying attention to the road but could still talk with Mulder because her respected all his work. "If I ever find me one of them there UFOs, I'll just throw it in the back like in one of those commercials where they drop a bunch of logs in the truck," joked Tomas, who really had a good sense of humour but Andrea didn't realize it yet because she was in denial. Mulder laughed, though, and Andrea realized that Tomas might not be such a bad guy.

"What can you tell me about Toombes that will help me catch him, Mr. Mulder?" asked Tomas, because he never took his mind off the case until it was solved.

"He used to take livers from peoples stomachs and after he had five of them he could hibernate for twenty years and then he would live forever. We thought he was dead, but then they had been wrong about that before," said Mulder a little solemnly because it was a serious matter.

"That much we were able to gather from your X-File on him. However, what do you mean by used to?" asked Tomas, because he had a spooky sense also.

Mulder smiled because he realized that his replacement was as sharp as he was and for the first time in his life he could talk to someone who understood him. Very much like how Andrea understood him, come to think of it. "Right you are, Agent Tomas."

Andrea, who had been following the conversation up until this time, decided that now was the best time to ask questions, "Do you mean to suggest that he has been cloning from DNA to make livers so that he can live forever?"

Both Mulder and Tomas were impressed by this leap in logic that Andrea had made, but they didn't dwell on it because they had a mystery to solve. "That's right, Andrea. He's been laying low for twenty years now, and in that time he could have perfected the science which even now we know very little about," explained Mulder.

"If he figures it out before we find him, that means that we'll never be able to find him," finished Tomas because he was on the same wavelength as Mulder.

Suddenly they saw Skinner at the side of the road flagging them down. They pulled over and let him in, but Tomas drove off quickly because they were in a rush.

"Where have you been, Agent Tomas?" asked Skinner without waiting for an answer, "I'd throw the book at you, but there's been a development in the case and we need to get a move on."

"What's happened?" asked Tomas.

"Our vast computer databases have picked up Toombes using his credit card in a hardware store not to far from here. We're worried that we may have another Oklahoma bombing on our hands," said Skinner, who really didn't know what he was talking about but it wasn't his fault because he played by the books, but his information helped them find Toombes anyways, so he was still helpful to the case.

When they got there, the swat team had the building surrounded and Toombes had taking a hostage and was threatening to kill her. Suddenly he saw Mulder, and although he was much older, he recognized him anyways. He had wanted to slip through the cracks without being noticed, but when the hotheaded police had shown up too soon, he took a hostage. Now a chance at revenge presented itself to him.

"I'll let the chick go if I get Mulder and a really fast car in exchange," said Toombes, because he had plans for Mulder.

The police really had no choice or else he'd kill the innocent girl, and Mulder agreed to go along with it because he was sure he'd have a better chance than the innocent girl. Then Toombes drove off with Mulder in the really fast car, and the police tried to chase him with a helicopter, but he escaped down a drainpipe without being noticed, but no before he shot Mulder.

Andrea rushed to the hospital with tears in her eyes while Tomas drove her there in his Ford Explorer because he felt responsible for her. He was in a coma, but the doctors couldn't say when he'd get out of it. They couldn't lie to Andrea, though, because she was really smart in school and had good grades in Biology.

Tomas sat next to her in the waiting room because he really cared about her even though he didn't know that he was in love with her yet because it was all too soon. But he comforted her even though she was putting up a strong front the whole time.

"I'm going to need you and your spooky sense if I'm going to solve the mystery. You know you have your father's gift," said Tomas because he really meant it.

Andrea thought about it for a second and although she wanted to stay by her father's side just in case he woke up it made more sense to help Tomas because it would keep her busy and her father would have wanted it that way anyways. "Sure," she said, because she wanted to help Tomas and she wanted to solve the mystery too.

So they got into the Ford Explorer and drove out to a warehouse because Tomas knew that Toombes was building his fort out there. When they walked into the room, Toombes had disappeared somehow. There was a note, so Andrea read it while Tomas guarded with his gun.

"Dear Miss Mulder. I knew that you'd both be coming out here to look for me because I took some of your father's blood and when I cloned it into livers I was able to gain some of his spooky sense, so I foresaw you both coming and left. You'll never catch me because I'll always be one step ahead of you. Ha ha ha. Love Eugene," she read aloud because Tomas was busy guarding the room but he could probably figure something out that she couldn't.

"I'm stumped," she said, because she didn't have any ideas. Luckily, Tomas had an idea, but he didn't tell it to her right away because he didn't want Eugene Toombes using his spooky sense through Andrea and spoiling the surprise. So he told her to get in the truck and follow him, which upset her at first, but as she was getting to know him by now, she realized that it was for the better and that he was just trying to protect her and not to upset her.

They drove all through the night and all the next day. Luckily, Tomas had air-conditioning and lots of tapes, because it was hot outside. He had really cool taste in music, not like Trevor who liked "Spice Girls" because they were really good looking and not for their music or anything. After a little while, Andrea felt like she had known Tomas her whole life and was really comfortable around him and was able to open up and talk to him about things she had never told anyone, like when Scully died and how much she missed her brother. Tomas also opened up to her and told her that he was an orphan and had been traveling around the country before he joined the FBI. They both had a lot in common, but different things.

Suddenly, they were in Los Vegas. Andrea tried not to recognize it, but being as smart as she was in geography, it was hard not to.

"Don't worry about it," said Tomas, "He's too busy being greedy that he won't even bother to recognize us being here."

It occurred to Andrea that Tomas was probably right, and that Toombes had come here out of greed. With his new found powers, it would be impossible not to want to take advantage of it, and once again, Tomas was one step ahead of his adversary, and this time he would surprise him.

As Los Vegas was a really big city and there were lots of really bad people and Mafiosos all over the place, Andrea and Tomas had to be extra careful because if anyone found them there and realized who they were they would be in a lot of trouble. They checked into the hotel shaped liked a big pyramid because Andrea had always wanted to go to Egypt because she was into other cultures. Tomas checked into room 42 and Andrea took a room ajoining his because they didn't want to sleep together yet.

Andrea took a long luxurious bubble bath. She couldn't remember the last time she had had a chance to relax like this they had been on the run forever it seemed. Luckily, Tomas still had his credit card with the FBI, and even though he had just started out and wasn't making enough to make ends meet yet, he could write it all off if they were on a case.

"Skinner's really going to hit the roof when he sees this one, but we have to catch Toombes before its too late and even Skinner can't deny that,' said Tomas defiant, and Andrea was beginning to like Tomas's rebellious ways because he got results.

Unlike Andrea, Tomas decided to take a shower because he was in a rush and wasn't one for all these bubble baths. Afterwards he watched TV a bit to see if he could watch the news and find out about Toombes. He wanted to call Skinner on his cell phone but realized that Skinner would probably be asleep, and even though he made his own rules, he didn't want to wake Skinner and Molly up.

Andrea decided to wear her best dress if she was going out on the town. This was Los Vegas after all. She put on her orange dress even though it was a year before it came into fashion she wasn't on to follow all the trends like all the other girls. She also put on her black velvet shoes made by Bacc because Scully, her mother, had owned them and she really like them even though they were retro and they fit her feet perfectly. She was going to wear a necklace but decided to keep it simple and just wore silver earrings and her bracelets. She then put on her face, cranberry like her favorite drink because it was good for her urinary tract, some lilac perfume in her important spots, cerulean blue eye shadow, and brought her purse before she was finally ready. She also put on some purple nail polish because even though she was in Las Vegas she had to be herself no matter what it cost her.

When she met Tomas at the bar, he could hardly believe his eyes, but he tried to hide it even though she could tell he was attracted to her because it was business not pleasure.

"You look a million bucks,' said Tomas because he was up to date with all the sayings even though he worked every day.

"You look pretty smashing in that tux yourself, Mr. Bond," said Andrea trying to be witty because she didn't want Tomas to know she was in love with him. He looked really hot when he was in that tux and she couldn't recognize him from the Explorer almost except he was the same person.

"Well, we have all night to search the casino, but I thought you might like to get some dinner because I'm starving,' said Tomas who was trying not to get all serious.

"OK, but I'll warn ya.I'm no cheap date,' said Andrea, and then she felt like she had put her foot in the mouth because she wanted to be all smooth and didn't want to be falling all over Tomas like this when they were supposed to solve the mystery and she had just met him. She might scare him away. Tomas laughed as if it was a joke or something, so she felt a little better like she were joking with Mulder and then she got very sad because she missed Mulder and hoped he was OK.

"You miss you father, don't you,' said Tomas, because he could tell she was upset.

"I'll just feel better when this is all over. But maybe some food will make us feel a little better," said Andrea who was touched that brash, daring Tomas also had a soft and understanding side to him and that he noticed her.

When they got to the restaurant, they were both starving to death. They ordered from the menu and decided to have some wine and the waiter didn't need to ask for ID because Andrea was very mature looking for someone her age.

"So how come you don't work at the Bureau a smart girl like you would make a top Agent,' asked Tomas because the wine had loosened his lips.

"Who me? I'm only nineteen,' said Andrea a little embarrassed to admit her age. "How old did you think I am?" she asked and Tomas laughed because he liked to mimic TV commercials too.

"From over here, I'd say that you're at least thirty-five,' said Tomas, and Andrea blushed a bit because Tomas said all the right things.

"So did you ever know your parents?" asked Andrea, shifting the conversation to more serious matter because she wanted to know Tomas's insides and the wine was making her take chances tonight.

"Not really. He died when I was very young. All I know is that his name was Elvis," said Tomas with a far off look in his eye but smiling because he didn't want the meal to go all sour.

"Elvis! You mean your father was the King? No wonder you knew where to find us," said Andrea excitedly because Mulder really liked Elvis.

"No, not the singer. I think he was a mathematician. My grandmother always said that he had a head for figures," said Tomas quickly because he knew what Andrea was thinking and he didn't want her to miss Mulder and get all sad again because he was really enjoying the meal with her and he didn't want her to be upset.

"Did you grow up with your grandmother," asked Andrea, interested in Tomas's past.

"No, I only was able to track her down after I joined the FBI. She hadn't seen me in years and was really happy to see me, but sad too because she missed her son. She seemed really nice, though," he added.

After supper, they went searching through the casinos, but they couldn't find Eugene anywhere. Tomas felt that Eugene was still there, and Andrea felt it too, but they couldn't find him so they decided to go to bed.

Andrea wasn't really tired even though it was the middle of the night she had had too much excitement for one day and Tomas couldn't sleep either, so they decided to talk some more because they were really enjoying each others company. If it wasn't for the fact that they were chasing a serial killer, it would be like they were on holiday.

"So do you ever miss your mother and your bother?" asked Tomas, because it was his turn to ask questions and he was really serious about getting into Andrea even though he felt like he already knew her.

"I miss my mother every day. We used to do lots of things together. I miss my brother also, even though he was a pain and I always was looking after him because he was younger. I suppose I miss even more the fact that I never got to know my baby sister Bellisa Marie because she was never born," said Andrea opening herself up to Tomas because they were really good friends and they cared for each other too.

"That must be tough," said Tomas, "I suppose I understand a bit how you feel but from the other side of the fence."

"I think its because of this that I want to have children of my own one day. Then I could feel like I knew the sister I never had and I could continue where my mother left off," said Andrea, even though she had never expressed these feelings to anyone else before, not even Mulder even though she was her father and they were really close.

"Gee, all this talking and I can almost forget about the case were on. I guess there's nothing we can do until tomorrow and usually I would just be up all night worrying about it when I should be sleeping," said Tomas, because he was happy with Andrea and felt calm and peaceful like he never had before in his life.

At first they got very quiet and looked into each others eyes and knew they were in love but neither wanted to say anything because they couldn't believe it and they didn't want to ruin the moment. Then Tomas reached over and their faces were very close so that they could feel each other's breath. Suddenly, Andrea and Tomas were kissing. At first very softly because they had never kissed before and nothing had been said and it was all up in the air. Then they gave into it and realized that they both loved each other and Tomas felt Andrea's back and Andrea put her arms around Tomas's neck so that they were hugging and kissing at the same time with their heads slightly tilted.

Suddenly, Tomas's cell phone rang. He wanted to let the answering machine get it, but using his spooky senses he knew that it was about the case and Andrea understood too.

"Agent Tomas! Where the heck are you, we've been looking all over for you and you're nowhere to be found," barked Skinner with his face all scowly because he was angry and worried too.

"We're in Los Vegas tracking down Toombes, Skinner. Get that carrot out of your butt," said Tomas. "Do you have any news on Toombes' whereabouts?"

"It appears he's used his new found powers to beat the banks of Los Vegas and has gone underground and hired a pack of goons to protect him. He's as untouchable as MC Hammer," said Skinner in a serious tone because if Toombes found the secret formula it would be all over.

"It's a good thing he doesn't know Andrea and me. We can go in undercover and he'll never notice the difference," said Tomas as he made the plan up as he was going along because that was how you got results in cases like this.

The next day Tomas and Andrea had not forgotten about the kiss but they decided that they'd have to solve the mystery before they could do anything about it or else they'd be running away for the rest of their lives. They went to a costume store and got very convincing costumes so that they would look like goons. Andrea had to dress up like a guy because Toombes was sexist and wouldn't hire any female goons, but one she put her hair up and roughed it up a little, you couldn't tell her from a truck driver. She even spit.

Tomas and Andrea went to infiltrate Toombes camp and got hired on as goons for him to protect him. When all the other guards had left the room they were able to get information from a computer and found out that Toombes was really in Washington working on his secret plan. Suddenly, some guards walked into the room, but Tomas fooled them by saying that he was checking the computer for viruses. These guys weren't very smart.

Back in Washington, Tomas and Andrea located the secret hiding place of Toombes. They couldn't pull the same trick this time because some of the guards would recognize them now, but they had enough on Toombes that they could go in as FBI agents with a swat team.

"Freeze," said Tomas, holding a gun to Toombes face, "FBI!"

"Too late, you little punk. I already found the secret recipe and will live for ever now," laughed Toombes diabolically because he knew he had won.

Suddenly, Andrea shot Toombes in the head to make sure he was dead because she wasn't going to let him get away with it. She was just like her mother.

Back at the FBI, Skinner was congratulating Andrea and Tomas on a job well done. "Congratulations, " said Skinner, "we couldn't have done it without you. How would you like to work for the FBI, Andrea. We know how smart you are, and you could finish your classes with the teachers here so that you can start right away."

"Really, Mr. Skinner," she said because even though she was excited she knew she had to call Skinner by his proper name in a government building. They had pomp and circumstances to follow.

"You and Agent Tomas seem to work well together," said Skinner. "You could start right away and move into the basement with him. We'd get you your own desk, of course."

Andrea was so excited, but she was worried also because Skinner didn't know about Tomas and her and she didn't want to created a conflict of interest.

Andrea had moved her stuff downstairs and had had her badge picture taken and a gun issued to her when her and Tomas were going to talk.

"Andrea, we have to talk," said Tomas who was obviously in love with her.

"Yes, we do. I don't want to create any problems for you here," said Andrea who was really in love also but also cared about Tomas. Suddenly she felt sad because she had finally met the man she loved but couldn't because of circumstances.

"Never mind that, my sweat. They can kick me out for all I care. I want to be with you and there's nothing to it but to do it," said Tomas with a flourish, and before she could protest he kissed her. At first she felt uncomfortable kissing and work, but then she realized that she was with the man she loved and nobody and nothing was going to stop her.

Suddenly, Andrea's new cell phone rang. Her face lit up when she checked caller ID because she realized that it was Mulder and she could tell him the good news.

"Mulder, I have some."

"Mulder can't come to the phone right now, dearie," said an evil voice over the phone, "We're taking him hostage, so you better realize that there's more than one player in theezzze parts," said a voice over the phone.

Suddenly, Andrea realized that it was Auntie Marita. She froze.

When the phone hung up, she ran upstairs to see Skinner. They had been unable to trace the call because Marita hadn't been on the phone long enough. She was too smart for that. Then he told them that Krycek and Marita had escaped from jail that morning and that Mulder was missing from his hospital bed

Andrea started crying, but she tried to be strong because she was at work. Tomas saw that she was upset and comforted her in the hallway when nobody could see them.

"Don't worry, my love," said Tomas. "We'll catch them and get your father back alive if it's the last thing I do."

Back in Andrea's apartment, Tomas was cooking some dinner for them because he was a really good cook even though he was a guy and because Andrea was upset and he wanted to cheer her up. They hadn't had sex yet because they were serious about each other, but they had kissed several times and Tomas had asked her out because he didn't want to be with anyone but her.

Tomas brought the plate to the table and put it in front of Andrea. It was chicken with peas and carrots with rice, which was one of Andrea's favorite meals because she had made it for Mulder when they lived together.

"Peas and carrots! My favorite," she said.

"Yeah, just like you and me," he replied, and they laughed because even though they were in love they could still laugh with each other because they weren't all uptight and serious all the time.

END

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Andrea Cindy Kershaw (c) 1997


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